We went on two visits so far, the smaller Slippery Rock, and the bigger IUP. Both are less than 2 hrs from us.
We signed up for one of the Saturday summer showcases at Slippery Rock. The other one is in August.
They had information tables for different majors set up and they had homemade granola bars and juice for refreshments.
At around 10 they had an admissions info session and then had professors from different majors take groups on a tour.
We went to tour the music building and the professor and some students were very enthusiastic and answered our questions. The music dept is pretty small though, and my son was not thrilled with the marching band requirement for music education majors. The facilities seemed fine, they had their own Mac computer lab.
We also went on a tour of the campus. It was a beautiful sunny day, but quite hot, and the tour guides tried to take us through AC buildings and shady spots along the way. Lots of buildings were closed due to renovations, but we saw the student rec building with a pool, rock wall, and a suspended track. We also got to see a suite-style dorm. They also have a traditional style dorm, which is less expensive. They have an impressive disc golf course.
We were given coupons for a free meal in the all-you-can-eat dining hall. I thought the food was ok. My son did not really look what all was available (they made made-to-order omelets), and just got Pizza, which he didn’t like.
For IUP we signed up for a weekday visit. They are MWF at 9:30 or 1:30. It includes an information session and a tour.
I had tracked down a professor from the music education department and emailed him to ask if we might be able to meet after the tour. He replied that he would be happy to meet with us.
We had received a parking permit for the parking garage, but we could not seem to get to it, since the road leading to it was closed. So we asked at the campus police building if it woukd be ok to park there.
We were a few minutes late arriving at Sutton Hall for the admissions info session, but the friendly receptionist let us in by the back door of the room.
After some information about the school and when to apply, etc, we got to talk to an advisor, who was funny and talked to all the students there, asking them their major, where there are from.
After that we went on a tour of campus, it was only raining lightly by then. The guides were friendly and took us to several buildings, among them the library, the HUB, and a residence hall with differently arranged suites. IUP only has suite-style housing.
We had to leave the tour early because we were meeting with the music education professor.
A lady crossing our path asked us if we needed directions, and told us how to get there.
He was very nice, answered some of our questions, showed us around the music building, and asked my son about his interests and musical background.
IUP’s music department is a good size with a variety of choices of ensembles to participate in. The requirement for music ed majors is participation in one large and small ensemble. They also need to attend several recitals and performances on campus.
We liked both campuses, but my son thought the music department at IUP would be a better fit for him.